Not a fan of the holidays. Not this year. The holiday spirit has eluded me and I’m just too emotionally worn out to muster anything up. Wouldn’t it be nice if when the new year started your energy levels -physically, mentally, emotionally- were all recharged, ready and raring to go?! This year 2011 has taken such a toll on me. It has been probably the hardest year I have had to endure thus far. I want it to be over, but that doesn’t mean that when it’s 2012 I will magically not feel the effects of 2011. Wouldn’t it be nice to just wake up and feel that way?
In other news, I organized the first installment of the Farmer Talk Series for the North Jersey Locavores this past Saturday, Dec. 17th. It was a great success! This event was our most popular and well-received one yet. Not only were Wayne residents represented in our audience, but folks from Woodland Park, Cedar Grove, and even from Teaneck came out! I had one friend who woke up at 6:30 in the morning to help his mom with Christmas stuff at their house in Cortlandt Manor, NY, then he went on an 8 and a half mile hike through Harriman by himself (rather hurriedly), and then came straight to the Farmer Talk and still made it on time by 2! The farmer had lots of interesting and important information for everyone, and the audience was super responsive and everyone asked great questions. It felt good to know that I made this happen. It almost feels like the only really good thing to come out of 2011. There are a few photos of the event on the North Jersey Locavores Facebook page. Now onto planning the January meeting!
For the December NJL event I bought lots of tasty foods from local farmers to serve as refreshments. However, my favorite snack on our table spread were the kale chips I made. What’s even better about these kale chips is that they came from the kale in my own garden that I harvested that very morning! I first tried kale chips at my friend’s house and I asked him how his mom made them and he sent me the recipe. It’s really simple and I am going to share it with all of you:
Kale Chips
Kale Chips: Up Close and Personal!
Ingredients
- Kale
- Olive oil
- Salt (I used Sea Salt)
- Pepper
- Garlic Powder (or any seasonings you’re particularly fond of!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 240 degrees on bake. My friend told me 250, but I wasn’t sure how strong his oven is so I lowered it a little. If you have a convection roast or convection bake setting use that and put it on at around 200 degrees.
- Wash and dry the kale. It’s very important that the kale is completely dry.
Wash and dry your kale.
- Chop it up. Keep in mind that the chopped pieces will shrink up when they are baked so don’t chop them too small.
- On a baking sheet (or two – I had lots of kale), spread out the pieces of kale. You don’t really want them piled on top of one another, so make sure there’s a little room, but don’t go crazy.
Kale spread out on pans.
- DRIZZLE olive oil over the chopped kale. I didn’t need to use too much. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic powder (or other spices of your choice – I can’t wait to start experimenting with other spice/herb combinations!).
Kale with olive oil drizzled on top, salt, pepper, garlic powder.
- Place pan(s) in oven. Bake for 30 minutes and check the chips. My top baking sheet was done at 30, but the bottom one still needed a little time so I put it in for another few minutes. There is a fine line between crisp chips and burnt kale. They shouldn’t be soggy, but crisp and dry. Take them out and let them cool.
Right out of the oven. Notice how the pieces have shrunk.
- Serve and enjoy!
Kale Chips!
Meatbeasta 